The group originally formed in 1985, playing its first gigs in Dallas's Deep Ellum neighborhood. Its current members are Jim "Reverend Horton" Heath on guitar and lead vocals, Jimbo Wallace on the upright bass, and Scott Churilla on drums. Through relentless touring and a manic stage show, they have established themselves as one of the most popular underground acts in America. Their sound is self described as "Country-fed punkabilly." Their music is a mixture of country, punk, big band, swing, and rockabilly, all played loud and energetically with lyrics that are often very humorous.
Jim Heath played in a cover band called Southern Comfort with friends from Corpus Christi Ray, his high school, before attending the University of Texas at Austin in the fall of 1977. At UT, he often entertained friends and dormmates and was often found playing in the stairwells at Moore-Hill Dormitory late into the night to avoid disturbing the sleep of roommate Harold Shockley, now a Corpus Christi banker. Jim left school in the spring to join up with a touring cover band by the name of Sweetbriar. Three years later, former dormmate David Livingston, now in his senior year of school and at home visiting family, saw a familiar face on stage and reunited with Jim. David told Jim stories of the punk music scene in Austin and the acts playing at venues like Raul's and Club Foot. Once, while home on another visit, David took Jim to a Dallas rock and roll venue, The Bijou, to see an act called The Cramps. After the show, there broke out a punks vs. rockers brawl in the parking lot. While Jim and David escaped any involvement in the scuffle, Jim later claimed to have had an epiphany on that evening. Always a fan of blues and honky tonk, Jim returned the favor by taking David and his wife, Ellen, to see The Blasters in Dallas at a venue known as the Hot Klub and Jim's love for roots rock took over from there.
Jim had married a former bandmate from Sweetbriar, and together they had a child. Together they decided that the rock-and-roll lifestyle was over and that it was time to have real jobs. Around 1985, Jim was known as "Jim the Sound Guy" by those who frequented two warehouses that by night became music venues, Theater Gallery and The Prophet Bar. Jim used the old Sweetbriar PA system to earn from $20-$50 per night for extra money, running sound for bands such as the New Bohemians, End Over End, Shallow Reign and Three On A Hill. One night during a lull, Russell Hobbs, one of the original Deep Ellum visionaries and proprietors of these venues goaded Jim into getting up to play. He played alone, tearing through a version of "Folsom Prison Blues" that is now so familiar to millions of Reverend Horton Heat fans around the world. Throughout the song, Hobbs hooted and shouted out, "Go Reverend". Jim decided then and there to form a band and came up with the name Reverend Horton Heat, as an ode to Johnny Horton, using the shortened version of his last name, Heath. The late nights and the fact the Jim was now playing in a band and his wife and former bandmate was not took its toll on the marriage and she soon left with their child and dog. Jim's feelings upon the loss of his family are well documented in the song, "Where In The Hell Did You go With My Toothbrush?". The Jimi Hendrix poster mentioned in the song was on the back of a door that Jim used for a practice room in the house he shared with his wife and child. The dog's name really was Smokey.
About this time, David and Ellen moved back from Oklahoma City, where they had been since graduating from UT. David began to book gigs for Jim and his new band, and their refeshing sound and raw live performance quickly won over the local music scene. Jim drew crowds to brand new music venues, playing three nights a week at Froggy Bottoms in the then brand new West End and assured a quick start to Club Dada, the first "for profit" bar in Deep Ellum by playing every night for the first two weeks that it was open. David continued to work with Reverend Horton Heat until 1989, when his own new family and day job required all of his attention, and Jim needed a real manager who could get him out on the road and into the studio. Jim and David remain close friends today, and a song that they co-wrote together back in the '80s, "Liquor, Beer and Wine", appeared on 1994's "Liquor In The Front".
Check out the [url=http://[officialsite]www.victorymerch.com/store/reverendhortonheat]Reverend Horton Heat merch store.
This artist is also on Last.fm as: 'The Reverend Horton Heat'
Bales of Cocaine
Reverend Horton Heat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pullin' up some corn, and a little carrot, too
When two low-flyin' airplanes, 'bout a hun'red feet high
Dropped a buncha bales of somethin', 'bout hit me in the eye
So I cut a bale open, and man was I surprised
A buncha large sized baggies, with big, white rocks inside
So I took a little sample, and my crazy brother Joe
(Chorus)
Bales of cocaine, fallin' from low-flyin' planes
I don't know who done dropped 'em, but I thank 'em just the same
Bales of cocaine, fallin' like the pourin' rain
My life changed completely by those low-flyin' planes
I loaded up them bales in my pick 'em up truck
Headed west for Dallas, where I might try my luck
I didn't have a notion that I could sell 'em there
Thirty minutes later I was a millionare
(Chorus)
Now I am a rich man, but I'm still a farmer too
But I sold my farm in Texas, bought a farm down in Peru
And when I get so homesick, I think I'm goin' insane
I travel back to Texas in a low-flyin' plane
(Chorus)
The lyrics to the song Bales of Cocaine by Reverend Horton Heat narrate a story about a farmer who comes across bales of cocaine while working on his farm. The singer describes how he was working on his farm in the 1980s, pulling up corn and carrots, when two low-flying planes dropped bales of something that almost hit him in the eye. He then cuts one of the bales open and sees that it is filled with baggies full of big white rocks. His brother, Joe, takes a sample and sniffs it, declaring that it is cocaine.
The farmer then decides to load up the bales in his pick-up truck and head west to Dallas to try his luck selling them. To his surprise, he becomes a millionaire thirty minutes later. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase “Bales of cocaine, falling from low-flying planes… My life changed completely by those low-flying planes” and expresses gratitude to the mysterious people who dropped the bales.
The song can be interpreted as a commentary on the drug trade in America during the 1980s when a lot of cocaine was being smuggled into the country. The singer sees the bales of cocaine as a gift from the universe that changed his life and gave him wealth. It also highlights the danger of the drug trade and the impact that it can have on people’s lives. The song is delivered with a fun and upbeat tone that almost glorifies the events but can be seen as a satirical take on the situation.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I was workin' on my farm, 'bout 1982
The singer was farming in Texas around 1982
Pullin' up some corn, and a little carrot, too
He was harvesting corn and carrots on his farm
When two low-flyin' airplanes, 'bout a hun'red feet high
Two planes were flying low, about 100 feet up
Dropped a buncha bales of somethin', 'bout hit me in the eye
The planes dropped bales of something, nearly hitting him in the eye
So I cut a bale open, and man was I surprised
He opened one of the bales and was shocked by what he found
A buncha large sized baggies, with big, white rocks inside
The bale contained large baggies with white rocks
So I took a little sample, and my crazy brother Joe
He took a sample and his brother Joe, who is known to be wild, tried it
Sniffed it up and kicked his heels, said, "Horton, that's some blow!"
His brother enjoyed the sample and said it was cocaine
(Chorus)
Refrain that talks about the bales of cocaine that fell from planes
I loaded up them bales in my pick 'em up truck
He put the bales in his pickup truck
Headed west for Dallas, where I might try my luck
He drove to Dallas hoping to sell the cocaine
I didn't have a notion that I could sell 'em there
He didn't think he could sell the cocaine there
Thirty minutes later I was a millionare
But he was able to sell them and became rich in just 30 minutes
(Chorus)
Refrain that talks about the effect the bales of cocaine had on his life
Now I am a rich man, but I'm still a farmer too
He is now rich but still works as a farmer
But I sold my farm in Texas, bought a farm down in Peru
He sold his farm in Texas and bought one in Peru
And when I get so homesick, I think I'm goin' insane
Sometimes he gets homesick
I travel back to Texas in a low-flyin' plane
So he takes a low-flying plane back to Texas
(Chorus)
Refrain that talks about the bales of cocaine that fall from planes
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mama Petillo
Couldn’t be a better song for these here days.
My god.
I love these three madmen.
Even if there’s a different drummer now.
I remember the wild days of Jimbo beatin up that stand up bass
How fabulous that three man band sounded live and wild.
These were the very best of days
My Pick ‘em up truck has been on the fritz for the last 25 years, dammit
Cavan Meakin
Played this song for some locals in Costa Rica when traveling through and they jumped up screaming “Texas! Texas!” And doing a cowboy dance and more recently did it at karaoke in Nicaragua last week and everyone loved the cocaine part jamming and dancing it was amazing. Next stop is in Ecuador to pass it on
J C
It’s ironic that you’re spreading a song about coke on your way down south as the coke the songs singing about is flowing north lmao
A Is For Apple 🍎
Sounds like you've got a good route! 🤪
HIGH🐲FANTASY
I believe you
Joe Day
"I sold my farm in Texas/Bought a farm down in Peru" just kills me every time.
C E
You can actually get pretty good property out there. I did.
Mia Hawksley
I'm beginning to think this man isn't an actual reverend.
troubleshooting
Best comment on this video
Matt Heck
He doesn't actually do cocaine. He just likes the smell.
Bobby Bunn
Blasphemy!!